Law enforcement officers and military personnel made up most of the first recruits to join the agency's replenished ranks in October 2001, said Jamie Smith, a former federal air marshal instructor and current CEO of SCG International, a global security firm.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Carleson had a successful corporate career working for companies like Starbucks and Baxter International before she decided to join the CIA. She spent nine years in the agency, traveling through Iraq and Afghanistan, recruiting spies and gathering intelligence.

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For Pfizer, the agency quietly created a movement that encouraged people to join in to raise awareness of and fight cardiovascular disease.

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